Alaska Images of the Country

by Galen A. Rowell

This compelling portrait of modern Alaska pairs excerpts from John McPhee's classic, Coming Into the Country, with the incomparable images of wilderness photojournalist Galen Rowell.
Chosen from more than 10,000 images taken by Rowell on nine separate expeditions to the Yukon State, the 112 full-color photographs featured here seamlessly complement McPhee's vivid prose. Together, text and images capture the overwhelming beauty and variety of America's last frontier - from the rapidly expanding city of Anchorage to the heights of Mount McKinley to the vast expanses of Alaska's frozen tundra.
McPhee's text includes profiles of a diverse collection of Alaska residents, providing fascinating glimpses of the people who thrive in the desolation and freedom of the the self-proclaimed "weird characters" inhabiting the remote town of Eagle; 114-year-old Liza Malcolm, whose only language is an Indian tongue understood by less than a dozen living people; and violinist Frances Randall, who practices while working at a landing site on the Kahiltna Glacier.
This classic book offers readers an incomparable portrait of the complex and dramatically beautiful land that is Alaska. Indeed, as the Conservationist declared, "For those who have longed for years to visit America's last frontier, the purchase price of the book may be the least expense incurred in furthering a deep and abiding interest."

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel

146 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Galen Avery Rowell (August 23, 1940 – August 11, 2002) was a wilderness photographer, adventure photojournalist and mountaineer. Born in Oakland, California, he became a full-time photographer in 1972.

Reviews

[Ace Varkey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun, quick, 'through the lives of people' read of Alaska. I loved the pictures and since I had once met Galen Rowell, I found them more meaningful. McPhee is, as ever, an insightful, clever writer. I enjoyed wandering through Alaska via the stories of people McPhee had met or heard about. He gives a brief history of the state which is lamentably incomplete -- my only gripe with the book. The rest is pure entertainment from interesting homesteaders to bears. If you are planning a trip to Alaska and don't want to arrive there a virgin or a know-it-all, this might be the book for you.

[J.D. Gormaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This classical book brings together two giants in their respective fields.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this as a preparation for a summer 2015 Alaska trip. My edition had photos by Galen Rowell--but it was a surprisingly middling collection. I spent the summer of 1976 in AK as a camp cook, so the state McPhee is writing about in this dated account is the one I experienced. I really liked the descrpiptions of backcountry life, but I didn't really glean any current, useful info for my trip.